AIBU to ask how the hell you stop yourself overeating at the moment?

[Turmericpie]

I would say usually I'm controlled and disciplined. I'll have eaten 'clean' 85% of the time. I exercise regularly.

But OMG, I've lost it. I'm snacking, overeating, eating rubbish - everything. It's mostly because I've lost my usual routine, DC at home, 3 meals a day, endless cooking.

I hate myself. I need to get a grip.

ADVICE please

I have done low carb previously and my weight seemed to really settle afterwards so I didn’t need to continue to be as strict. But after gaining weight with my busy desk job with long commute, and three lockdowns I was ready for drastic measures. I bought a book called ‘The Sugar Detox’ and would highly recommend. I also did dry Jan, but started late due to lockdown 3 so it’s more dry Jan into Feb, and have lost 10lbs in 4 weeks. Sadly I’ve still got a fair way to go to get back to a respectable weight but it’s been a great start.

@Tambourinetunes

I log everything on My Fitness Pal at the start of the day then chose what to eat and when. I find that way I feel I have choices and don’t feel as restricted.

I do this and it definitely helps me. I'll log Crisps etc and it's easier to say to myself I don't need to eat them now and save them for when I really need a snack!

Intermittent fasting, 16:8.
I can eat between 11am and 7pm, so I'll even have treats in that time. But that's it then.
I keep myself busy or run in a morning which suppresses my appetite until gone 11

I wish I knew. I'd seriously improved my terrible unhealthy diet over the last 18months. Then I spectacularly fell off the wagon last week & can't stop . Family sized bars of chocolate are £1 at the corner shop....I'm hoping to rein it back in this weekend. Somehow.

I have to use an app and plan, plan, plan and log, log, log. It’s fucking draining.

Don't buy it then you can't eat it. Have a plan for meals and keep busy.

I use Les mills on demand workouts and I find if I'm working out I don't eat crap as much as I think "blimey that's an hour's body combat I just ate"

I am the same! Constantly snacking during the day and my jeans are tight! Agh! I've started brushing my teeth shortly after dinner so I don't snack in the evening. And I've given up chocolate for lent.

I am such a crap dieter but I've started doing intermittent fasting. It's the 16/8 approach so my usual day is now I have my first meal between 1 and 2 and ensure I don't eat after eight hours after that time. I'm finding it's a really easy way to be more mindful about what I'm eating. I do still enjoy the odd treat but it really is helping loads.

I've put on about 15 lb in lockdown but in fairness on top of the pandemic my marriage was a car crash, I pretty much had a breakdown and subsequently being on ADs all contributed to it. I stopped working out and comfort ate and drank too much. I've managed to up my steps to 15k a day and started weight training again last week, largely out of fear of coming out of lockdown and nothing fitting! I don't feel comfortable in my own skin at the moment, this is the worst shape I've ever been in!

For me it boils down to sheer willpower. I put on weight last year and desperately don't want to put on any more, so I'm just really strict with myself now. My mantra is "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips", and knowing it's a damn sight easier to grit my teeth and not buy/eat that treat than to try and get rid of the excess fat later. I've had to go cold turkey with sugary stuff because the more I eat it the more I want it, so now if I have a craving I'll eat a small amount of fruit. That works pretty well. But I can see how it's trickier for you as you have rubbish food in the house for your family, so it's there for the taking.

Ok, downloaded MFP. Will make time to sort it out. Will log everything and also go by macros, as a trainer told me to. But starting with 3 healthy meals, no snacking in between. I've just got to break the new patterns

You don’t need to 'stop yourself'.

You’ve got a different habit for these different circumstances. It won’t be forever.

Don’t deny yourself the comfort that eating can bring and FGS don’t hate yourself for something as innocuous as a bit of over eating.

I do it because I am so so so so so bored. Exercising to make up for it. Because I'm so bored!

Another one saying log everything on MFP.

I’ve lost almost two stone since September this way, and I haven’t been hungry or felt deprived once. I eat what I like, when I like.

I was clearly massively overeating and underestimating before.

@Turmericpie honestly, forget macros, three healthy meals; all that rule stuff just sets you up to fail.

Approach it with curiosity. What am I eating? When am I eating xyz? Look for patterns, at first. Learn what your body needs, when and why.

The weight seems to have melted off me doing this, and I honestly can’t believe it. I’ve been battling for over a decade, and here we are. It was as easy as that.

I have lost 7lb so far cutting out all processed foods and refined carbohydrates - similar to a Paleo diet except I am still having dairy because I need the calcium (premature meno).

If MFP is seriously annoying, try the Ate app instead - take photos of what you eat or if that's not possible/you forget, you can add it manually as text only. It leads to more conscious eating.

First rule of dieting - don't eat when you're not hungry
Second rule - stop when you're satisfied, not when you're full/your plate is empty

MFP does get easier. When you make something from scratch log it as a recipe instead of separate ingredients then it's saved for next time (and you can edit it) everything else just scan the barcode but watch out for amount it logs as a portion, you can adjust it.

You can import a recipe you are using online too then tweak it.

I spend less than 5 minutes a day to log 2 meals, snacks and drinks. 1 minute if it's all stuff I've eaten before.

I went cold turkey on the snacking. No snacking at all is easier that trying to be "good" with snacks IMO.

I eat three good meals a day, eat until I'm properly satisfied but nothing else.

Forgot to say, for me the only way I can stick to a weight loss commitment is to weigh myself every morning. If I see the numbers going down even just by a little bit then this motivates me for the rest of the day :)

I do intermittent fasting and only eat between 12-8pm every day. I also log everything on MFP and try to only have things that do something nutritious for my body. I have cut crisps, bread, sweets, chocolate etc and just have the occasional treat now, like a once a fortnight takeaway. I've also found replacement snacks like popcorn or corn nuts that have stopped me going back to my 'old ways'.

I'm down nearly a stone now and while I've got a fair way to go to get to where I want to be, for once it actually feels doable and not like I'm depriving myself.

Will power? I mean I have none but I imagine that’s what most people do when I’m feeling the urge to eat I make myself get up and do something else for at least 15 minutes, hoover, put some washing away, do the dishes, even just move into a different room and faff with stuff. Take your mind off it. Having something to do with your hands on an evening helps (get your mind out of the gutter I meant crochet or something)

Thank you all. Really helpful. I think discipline is key - consciousness - but also, as @LunaNorth says, there are emotional reasons why we shove in crap...and I need to be mindful of those.

Low carb and intermittent fasting/time restricted eating.
I gained loads of weight last year, started doing this at the end of November and have lost 23lbs so far (and obviously that was with Christmas in the middle, so got a little side tracked then..)
Takes around a week (probably less, more like 5 days) to get used to it.
Low carb will reduce your hunger as will the fasting, with the fasting though it's mental too, I might feel hungry some evenings but then I tell myself no, because I'm fasting and it soon passes.
I have two meals a day (I aim for around 1200 cals a day, 600 cals per meal), one at 12pm (lunch with dd) and then at 4-5pm (dinner with dd) so all I'm doing is cutting out breakfast and snacks, and still sitting down for main meals with dd.
I might make myself something different to what shes having (in that case it's a quick salad) or just tweak it a bit, if for example I'm making spaghetti bolognese, I'll have the bolognese sauce with a pile of kale. That way it keeps it simple and it can be planned around family meals too.
Having a sunday roast?? Just have the meat and veg with some gravy etc.

Once your body gets used to not eating all the time you just dont feel hungry. Be sure to add fats to your meals though as these are really satiating, I know if I've not had enough fat with my evening meal because I'll get hunger pangs (which I ignore..) at around 8-9pm.